


A Shoulder to Lean On

by RuntotheForest



Category: Broadchurch
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Fluff and Hurt/Comfort, Injury, Post-Season/Series 03
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-20
Updated: 2020-09-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 23:14:51
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,440
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26017129
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RuntotheForest/pseuds/RuntotheForest
Summary: When Alec and Ellie head out to make an arrest, things don't go as planned.
Relationships: Alec Hardy/Ellie Miller
Comments: 146
Kudos: 281





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> My goal was to do a one-off. I still have not succeeded at this. Thanks for reading anyway! :-)

“Are you planning to eat that?”

Ellie was watching Hardy pick at his sandwich and scowl out the window of the café. Despite having eaten a salad for lunch, her stomach was still growling. Hardy raised an eyebrow at her.

“Thought you were cutting back on lunch,” he said, rearranging the turkey inside the French roll.

“Well, I am. But salad isn’t lunch. It’s glorified garnish. I feel like I haven’t eaten a bloody thing. I’m starving.”

He handed over half his sandwich. “All yours. But now you can’t harass me about eating for the rest of the day.”

“It’s a deal,” said Ellie, already stuffing a bite of sandwich into her mouth. “But at least eat your half, or I swear to God you’ll disintegrate into nothing and blow away with the ocean breeze.”

“It seems as though you’ve already broken that deal,” said Hardy dryly. 

Ellie smiled knowingly, and continued to chew. Just then, Hardy’s mobile buzzed, and he excused himself outside to take it. A few minutes later, he stuck his head back in the café door and urgently motioned for Ellie to join him. Sensing his urgency, she grabbed the remaining halves of turkey sandwich, and rushed outside.

“What’s up?” she said, still chewing a mouthful.

“We got a DNA match from the crime scene. It’s bloody Terry Ross! We got him, Miller! Let’s go pick him up!”

“Bloody hell, I knew it!” exclaimed Ellie, swallowing the bite of sandwich. “Did you request backup yet?”

He was moving quickly toward Ellie’s car, and she was practically running trying to keep up with his long strides. “Yeah,” he said. “We’ve got a car coming with two PC’s.”

Once in her car, Ellie drove them out of the town, into a rural area, and turned up the winding drive to Terry Ross’ isolated home. Before the house came into view, she slowed and pulled over to the side of the drive, parking on a rise that obscured the rest of the drive to the house.

“PC’s aren’t here yet. ETA five minutes, they say,” Hardy said, looking at his phone. He opened the passenger door and unfolded his legs out of the car. Ellie got out as well, and they both ended up leaning next to each other against the side of Ellie’s VW.

“Look at us,” said Ellie, “we’re matching!”

Hardy rolled his eyes. Indeed, they were both wearing dark grey suits and white shirts. The only splash of color was Hardy’s blue-grey tie. “How did I just now notice this?” asked Ellie, smiling, to no one in particular. “Well, you’ve got your tie, which ruins our matching outfits, but it brings out your brown eyes.”

Hardy’s eyebrows shot upward quizzically. Ellie’s face flushed bright red, and she quickly looked away.

“Not that I would notice your eyes, or anything,” she stammered, and her face felt hot. She pushed herself off the car, stood up straight and walked a few steps into the middle of the drive, away from Hardy’s penetrating gaze. She turned and looked back down the drive, away from the house.

“Backup should be here any second,” she said, quickly changing the subject.

“Aye,” he agreed, under his breath. He shoved his hands into his trouser pockets and waited.

\-----

Hardy saw the car before he heard it. 

It seemed to appear out of nowhere, without warning, coming from the direction of the house, going much faster than it should have been. _Bloody silent electric cars,_ he thought.

Ellie was in the middle of the road, right in the car’s path. She didn’t see or hear it, and was still scouring the road in the opposite direction for their backup.

“Ellie!” he thought he heard himself yell, but he was already moving, launching himself toward her, without hesitation or thought. The air felt as though it was made of quicksand, and he was moving through it in slow motion. Ellie’s shocked face turned toward his.

“What are you do - ?” And then he collided with her, and both their bodies hurtled through the air, narrowly avoiding the path of the speeding car.

Hardy hit the ground, and for an instant, everything went white.

He tried to push himself up off the ground, but he felt a searing pain in his left shoulder and fell back to the ground. He could feel his heart racing, and before he could make any conscious attempt to slow it down, his pacemaker gave him a jolt that felt like a kick to his chest, and his vision clouded.

\-----

Somewhere in the murky recesses of his mind he thought he heard her voice. He opened his eyes, and she slowly came into focus, looking down at him with concern, brushing damp hair from his forehead. She was yelling at him.

"Hardy! Alec!"

She looked properly concerned, he thought. 

"There you are, thank God! Are you all right?"

The first thing he focused on was a scrape on her cheek. 

"You're hurt," he said, wiping a smear of blood off her face with his fingertips.

"I'm fine, but I'm worried about you, you fool. You're sweating like crazy."

"Pacemaker kicked in."

"Can you sit up?"

"Think so," he said, grunting to push himself to a seated position.

Ellie tried to put her arm around his shoulders, but the moment she touched his left shoulder, he hissed in pain.

"Oh shit... Alec, I don't think your shoulder is supposed to look like that."

"Like what?"

"It just looks – wrong. I think it’s dislocated. I'm driving you to A&E right now."

"What 'bout Terry Ross?”

Ellie gave a short laugh. "That was him driving the car. PC’s got him at the bottom of the drive. Come on, let’s get you into the car."

Hardy offered no protest. His shoulder and head were throbbing. Ellie helped him up, and he was unsteady, leaning his body weight onto hers. 

“Christ, Hardy, you’re heavy for someone who never eats.”

She gingerly helped him into the passenger seat and buckled his seat belt, worrying over his injuries.

“How is your shoulder?”

“Hurts.”

“Did you hit your head?”

“Dunno.”

“Has your pacemaker gone off a second time?”

“No.”

This line of questioning was repeated several times on the drive to A&E. At some point, exhausted, Hardy closed his eyes, leaning his head against the window.

“Are you still with me, Alec?”

“God’s sake,” he mumbled. “Restin’.”

There was a short silence. Ellie cleared her throat.

“You saved me,” she said softly. There was no reply at first, and Ellie thought he might have fallen asleep. But a few moments later, he spoke:

“Can’t lose you,” he said, his voice fading.

Ellie felt as though her heart flipped inside her chest, and she drove the rest of the way to A & E in silence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In the hospital, after the events of Chapter 1.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> True to form, this is now a multi-chapter experience. My ideas change while writing. I'm still having tons of fun, so you're stuck with me!

Chapter 2

At A&E, Ellie watched them take Hardy off in one direction, while a nurse fussed over her, leading her to a room to check and clean her abrasions. She hadn’t realized that she had as many bumps and bruises as the nurse seemed to find. Whereas Hardy had seemed to _hit_ the ground hard, she had mostly _slid_ along it, causing tears to her clothes, and some superficial damage to her elbow, knee, and cheek.

The young nurse cleaned her wounds and bandaged her knee and elbow, and seemed to want to chat with Ellie about how she obtained her injuries.

“My partner pushed me out of the way of a speeding car,” she explained, and she could hear the slight tremble in her own voice.

“Like in the movies,” said the nurse, slightly awestruck.

“Not quite so glamorous, obviously,” said Ellie, raising her bandaged elbow and bloody sleeve as evidence.

“Well maybe not that part, but it still sounds quite romantic to me.”

Ellie couldn’t think of a single response to this statement. 

“I’d like to see my partner, if you could arrange that for me when you’re done.”

“Of course. Let me see what I can find out for you.”

After the nurse left, Ellie called CID to update them as best she could. A few minutes later, the nurse returned with a slightly apologetic expression on her face. 

“You may have to wait a bit to see him, I’m sorry,” she said. “They have a few tests to run, and they have to put that shoulder of his back in its proper place.” She gave an odd smile. “I told him you were asking about him, and the first thing he did was ask if you were all right.” She gave a small sigh. “Quite sweet, worrying about you like that. Handsome bloke, your partner. Bit scruffy, though. Lovely smile.”

Ellie’s head snapped backward, and her eyes widened. “Smile?? Are you sure you’ve got the right Alec Hardy? He’s not much of a smiler.”

The nurse laughed knowingly. “Oh, he’s the right one, I assure you. He’s in quite a jolly mood right now – probably due to the muscle relaxers they gave him before they fix his shoulder. Might not be quite so happy later, though, after it wears off.”

Ellie nodded and chewed on her bottom lip, distractedly worried.

“Don’t fret about your partner – we’ll fix him right up.” She put a reassuring hand on Ellie’s shoulder. Her eyes twinkled. “He did ask me something odd, though – he asked if there were any grapes around that I could bring to you…?”

Ellie burst out laughing. “ _Knob_ ,” she said softly, and she felt her face flush a bit.

The nurse smiled again. “You can stay here and rest if you like. I’ll come and get you when you can see him. I just thought you’d like to know that he was asking after you.” Her smile grew broader. “Seems you’re both quite concerned about one another.”

And then she left, closing the door behind her. Ellie chuckled to herself at the thought of a smiling Hardy. In the years she’d known him, she’d barely glimpsed anything resembling a smile. The nurse had described his smile as “lovely”, and she felt a slight pang of – something – regret, maybe? that she didn’t really know what he looked like when he smiled. 

Ellie stifled a yawn, suddenly overcome by fatigue and the events of the day. She decided it wouldn’t be a bad thing to close her eyes for a moment while she was waiting to see Hardy. She had a quiet, private room, after all…

\-------

She awoke with a start, hearing a knock on the door. The nurse cautiously peered in. “Sorry, ma’am, I didn’t want to disturb you, but you can see your partner now.” 

Ellie shook her head to clear away the sleepy haze, and followed the nurse down a maze of halls to Hardy’s room. The nurse knocked on the door before opening it cautiously. Inside, Ellie saw Hardy perched on the edge of the hospital bed, attended by a doctor and a nurse, who were gingerly affixing a sling to his shoulder. Ellie was also surprised to see CS Jenkinson sitting in the corner of the room.

Hardy looked up and saw Ellie in the doorway. And then she saw the smile the nurse had mentioned – it was broad, disarming, and irrefutably charming. It was like a revelation to Ellie, and it sent a sensation of warmth rushing throughout her body. _“Told you,”_ the nurse whispered conspiratorially.

“Miller!” 

Upon seeing Ellie, Hardy stood up suddenly – too suddenly. Dizziness overtook him, and he immediately went a bit pale. The doctor steadied him and sat him back down on the bed.

“Mr. Hardy, you may not be feeling any pain yet, but you need to take it easy. Please. Let us finish.”

Hardy nodded, trying to make the room stop spinning. He turned his focus back to Ellie.

“You’re okay.” He smiled again, less vividly.

“I’m fine. Few bumps and bruises and scrapes. You definitely got the worst of it.”

The doctor was tightening the sling to fit over his shirt, which Ellie then noticed was unbuttoned, exposing a bit of bare chest and torso. She found she couldn’t seem to take her eyes off the exposed skin, or get herself to breathe normally all of a sudden.

“DS Miller,” she heard Jenkinson saying, “Are you in there somewhere?”

“What? Oh, yes.”

“Let’s go out and talk with the doctor, shall we?”

She followed Jenkinson and the doctor out into the hall, where he turned to face them, taking his glasses off and putting them into his jacket pocket. 

“Mr. Hardy appears to be doing well right now, but he is highly medicated. Once the medication wears off, it may not be quite as easy for him. His shoulder was dislocated, and there was a bit of damage to the surrounding ligaments. He also has a mild concussion, so you can expect some dizziness, headaches, and maybe a bit of confusion and nausea. It is important to monitor his symptoms and keep him relatively immobile for a while. Bottom line – he should not be alone right now. Is there someone that can look after him for a few days?”

Jenkinson fixed her gaze on Ellie. “Does he have any family we don’t know about?”

Ellie shook her head immediately. “No, Ma’am. His daughter is off at uni now, and she’s really his entire family.” She took a deep breath. “But I don’t mind staying with him, if that’s all right with you.”

Jenkinson thought for a moment, then chuckled. “I doubt anyone else could handle him.” She clapped her hands together. “That’s settled, then. Take a few days. We’ll be in touch.”

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

“Oh, and Ellie – both you and Alec are very valuable to us. Try not to kill each other, will you please?”


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ellie does her best to care for Alec - it's not easy.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a bear. This is more from Ellie's POV, since she is doing all the work. Special shout-out to Twisha - there's one small paragraph I wrote with you in mind. I hope you enjoy! Oh, and I'm not done yet. This "one-off" turned into a multi-chapter extravaganza! Thanks for reading!

Chapter 3

Hardy remained quite jovial and talkative on the drive to his house. He smiled and laughed and talked about things that, to Ellie’s amusement, made very little sense. He would also periodically reach his fingers toward her face, and blink at the scrape on her cheek, as if trying to erase it. The third time he did this, Ellie glanced over at him.

“What are you doing _?”_ she demanded, but there was a lightness in her voice.

“Your face,” he said.

“Yes, it is.”

“Bit bloody.”

“Yeah, I suppose so.”

“Pretty.”

“My face?”

“Yes.”

She blushed a bit, and her laughter filled the car. 

“I should have recorded this conversation for blackmail purposes,” she said, but he wasn’t listening or didn’t hear – Ellie wasn’t sure which.

“Does it hurt?” He sounded so sincere, she thought.

“Not much. Just a scratch, really. Looks worse than it is.”

For the first time on the drive home, he fell silent. The sun was setting, and the orange glow swept across the sky. Ellie stopped by her house to pick up a bag of clothes and essentials, leaving Hardy in the car. When she came back out to the car, his eyes were closed.

“Are you asleep?”

“Yes.”

“Well, don’t get too comfortable. I’ll just have to wake you up and kick you out of the car. I don’t think you’ll like that much.”

“Do your worst, Miller,” he mumbled. She smiled and continued the drive to Hardy’s house on the hill. 

Getting him out of the car proved more difficult than she thought. His energy was clearly flagging, and she could tell that the medication was wearing off, leaving him far more irritable than he had been earlier.

“Can you get out of the car, or do you need my help?” Ellie had moved around to the passenger side, where Hardy was sitting, with his eyes still closed, motionless.

“Don’t need help,” he grunted. But despite his protests, he wasn’t moving.

“So, let’s go then?”

“Just gimme a minute.”

“Alec, it’s cold out here, I’m tired, and I’d rather not stand here forever. It’s already been a long day. Just let me help you.”

Hardy was silent for a moment.

“Fine.” But it was clear that it was _not_ fine.

She managed to ease his good arm around her shoulder, and she lifted them both up with her knees. They staggered into the house, Hardy leaning on Ellie’s shoulders. Once inside, Ellie helped him down onto the sofa, then plopped down next to him, exhausted. He was leaning back, looking every bit the worse for wear.

“I’m knackered,” she announced. “Christ, what a day.”

“Hmm.” 

“You okay? Are you hungry?”

“No. Tired.”

“Well, you should rest, then,” she said, and Hardy grunted some noise that she supposed indicated agreement. He closed his eyes, and almost immediately nodded off.

Ellie began contemplating an exploratory mission in his kitchen for potential dinner materials. She bleakly wondered if she would find any food in the kitchen of a man who didn’t eat. Then there was the larger problem of getting him to actually _eat_ any food she might find there. Thinking about it felt overwhelming, and she suddenly felt extremely weary. Fatigue caught up to her and washed over her in a wave. Lulled by the rhythm of Hardy’s breathing as he slept, she felt herself start to drift away as well.

\-------

She didn’t know how much later it was when she opened her eyes, aching and hungry, with Hardy’s head resting on her shoulder. She could feel his hair tickle her neck, and his breath warm her chest. His head on her shoulder felt intimate and rather sweet, she thought. She was reluctant to disturb him, which forced her to sit, unmoving, for quite some time. Finally, her growling stomach became too persistent, and she impossibly attempted to extract herself without waking him. Just as she thought she had a chance at success, Hardy groaned and began to stir.

On the extensive list of things Ellie was supposed to do as Hardy’s temporary caretaker, the first was to make sure he had some wits about him when he awoke. When Hardy’s eyes fluttered open, his face registered mild confusion at seeing Ellie sitting next to him.

“Miller,” he said, his voice low and raspy, “what’re you doing here?”

“I’m here to look after you.” She chuckled softly. “It’s a good sign that you know who I am. I'm not sure what kind of sign it is that you didn't already know I was here.”

“What d’you mean ‘look after me’?”

“We decided this back at the hospital. We told you about it there too, but you were a bit out of it, so you probably didn’t catch on.”

“Don’t need lookin’ after. ‘M fine.” 

“You’re not fine, you know,” Ellie admonished. “That’s why I’m here. Even _without_ injuries, you barely take proper care of yourself. I don’t even want to think what it would be like if you were on your own right now.”

Hardy grunted something unintelligible, then winced, squeezed his eyes shut, and pressed his hand to his temple. 

“Are you okay? How do you feel?” she worried.

“Fine.”

“Clearly. Which is why you look like someone just whacked you over the head with a cricket bat.”

“Don’t fuss.”

Ellie couldn’t help the spark of anger that began to bubble in the pit of her stomach. “Alec Hardy, you listen to me. You were injured today, and those injuries require the care and attention of another person. _I_ am that person. I _will_ fuss, so get used to it. I received very specific guidance from the doctor who treated you, along with a list of instructions on how to care for you.”

“Like I’m a bloody infant,” he grumbled.

“No, like you’re someone whose brains got dashed around inside his head, and whose shoulder looked more like an elbow before the doctor put it back where it belonged!”

Hardy was silent for a moment, and appeared to be trying to concentrate on his next thought.

“Why’s it you?” is what finally came out.

“What?”

“Why’re _you_ here? Why not – someone else?”

“Who else, Alec? Who else should be here instead of me?”

“Dunno.”

“If you don’t like it, take it up with Jenkinson. I’m on the clock. Making sure you don’t do anything stupid is a full-time job, and nobody else would want it.” She regretted it the moment she said it, but she was angry, and it was too late to take it back.

Hardy fell silent again, and rubbed his face with his hand. 

“I’m going to try and scrape up something for dinner,” Ellie announced, with less venom. “I hope you have some food in this house.”

“Not hungry.”

“Christ, Hardy, you need to eat. It’s important.”

“Don’t wanna eat anything.”

Ellie thought her head might explode. “God, you are exhausting! For your information, making sure you eat is on my bloody to-do list!” Her eyes flashed. “But you know what’s _not_ on my to-do list? Dealing with such an insufferable knob!”

She turned and stalked into the kitchen. After banging around for a few minutes, searching for something edible, she managed to throw together some pasta – a functional dinner, something that maybe she could get Hardy to eat. 

She felt guilty for having yelled at him, realizing it wasn’t really his fault. But she was sore and tired, and she knew she was reacting emotionally to his frustration. She made a silent vow to keep her emotions under control.

She returned from the kitchen with two steaming bowls of pasta. When she set one on the table in front of Hardy, his eyes were closed.

“Are you asleep?”

“No. Feels better with my eyes closed.” 

She put her hand gently on his shoulder, and his eyes flew open.

“Sorry,” she said. “I brought you some pasta. You don’t have to eat much, but you need to eat some. Please.”

He sat up then, and winced a little bit with the movement. “Thanks,” he said softly. He picked at it for a while, gamely eating about half of it before pushing it away. 

“Need to use the loo,” he said, pushing himself off the sofa. She could see him falter when he stood, and she guessed that standing had made him dizzy. He walked slowly and tentatively out of the room, and she watched him, determined not to fuss. In a few minutes, however, he was back, a defeated expression on his face.

“I, uh, can’t undo my trousers.”

“Oh!” Her hand flew to her mouth. She hadn’t thought about this particular problem. “So I guess you, uh, need me to, uh, do it for you?” She had a hard time meeting his eyes. She felt herself blush, and was painfully aware that she had probably blushed more in the last 12 hours than she had in the last 12 months. She forced herself to look at him, and saw that his face was also flushed with embarrassment.

“Um. Yes.”

She walked over to him, and saw that he had managed to uncinch his belt, but couldn’t manage the button on his trousers with a single hand. She stepped toward him, leaned down, and unfastened his button, trying not to let on how her hands were slightly shaking and her cheeks were getting hot with his proximity. She undid the trouser button and stepped backward, clumsily backing into the sofa.

“Maybe you should consider changing into pajama bottoms, so this won’t be an ongoing issue,” she said, forcing steadiness into her voice. He nodded slightly, looking somewhere over her head, and turned back toward the hallway.

He returned about 10 minutes later, wearing pajama bottoms, no shoes, his white button-up shirt, and the same defeated expression as before. Ellie took one look at his forlorn face and smiled.

“You need help with your shirt?”

“Can’t undo the buttons. Or this.” He pointed to the sling, looking glum.

“It’s okay, Alec. I’ll help you. But you have to decide what you’re going to wear instead.” He looked confused, and she explained. “Your shoulder isn’t supposed to move. I can get help you get a tee shirt on, but it may be difficult and uncomfortable for you. Or you could just, uh, not wear a shirt, which would save us the struggle of having to put it on now and take it off tomorrow.” She felt her face heat up ( _bloody hell, again!_ she thought) and looked down.

“Oh,” was all he said. When he didn’t say anything else, Ellie realized he was probably struggling with making a decision, which the doctor had told her was to be expected. 

“Let’s first get _this_ shirt off and see how you’re doing then, okay?” He gave a quick nod, and they walked down the hall to his bedroom.

Ellie found herself growing more frustrated as the evening wore on. She really was trying to hold it together - trying to be a responsible caretaker for a man she knew she cared about, but was technically her boss – and here she was, acting like a nervous teenager. Why were her hands shaking as she was reaching for his buttons? Why was she getting so flustered just _thinking_ about Alec Hardy without a shirt?

“You okay?” she was surprised to hear him ask. They were sitting on the side of his bed, and Hardy seemed to notice her shaky hands, which she withdrew and folded in her lap.

“It’s been a long day. I think I’m just tired. Bit sore, too.”

“Sorry,” he said. “You should be at home nursing your own wounds, not mine.” 

“I’m responsible for your wounds,” she said ruefully.

“I’m responsible for yours.”

“That’s ridiculous,” she snorted. “If it weren’t for you, _you_ would be the one taking care of _me_ right now – or bringing me grapes in the hospital. Or arranging my funeral. Take your pick.”

Hardy said nothing. Ellie took a deep breath and refocused on the task at hand.

“Stay still, and don’t move your arm until I move it for you.” She eased the sling off carefully, and gently shifted the position of his arm so it was hanging by his side. “Okay, now I’m going to take off your shirt.”

As she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, she thought about how this would have been a pleasurable experience in just about any other circumstance - but now she was too flustered to enjoy it. She undid a few buttons, and became instantly distracted by the hair on his chest. A few more buttons, and his trim torso taunted her. She shuddered and took a few quick breaths to recover, and once again renewed her focus. She slipped the shirt off over his good shoulder, then guided it around his bad one until he was rid of it all together. 

Hardy’s shoulder was bluish black, covered in newly formed, angry-looking bruises. He flinched every time she touched or moved his arm, even slightly. 

“Ouch,” she said, sympathetically. “Does it hurt much?”

He gave a slight nod. His eyes were glassy. “Lots. Head hurts too. Can’t think.”

“Poor Alec,” she cooed, and she touched his cheek lightly. “You’ve had a rough day.” 

She was trying to keep herself from staring at his bare chest, but now her eyes settled on the slightly raised edges of his pacemaker scar. Her hand left his cheek and touched the scar lightly.

“You know,” she said, “you got pretty lucky that your pacemaker didn’t dislodge when you hit the ground. The doctor said that was a very real possibility, but fortunately, everything is still working, and still where it’s supposed to be.”

“Your hand is warm.”

“Is it?” She pressed it flat against his chest. He closed his eyes. She felt the heat of his chest on her palm, and thought that the warmth must be coming from him.

“Mmhmm.”

He melted into her a bit, and his head found her shoulder. She was fairly certain he would sleep there again if she let him, which was very tempting. Ellie thought it somewhat absurd that absolutely _everything_ felt tempting right about now. But despite the warmth she felt radiating between them, she had responsibilities, and those were more important.

“Hey. I have to get this sling back on, and then you can go to bed and sleep, I promise. Come on, Alec. Just a few minutes more. What did we decide - shirt, or no shirt?”

“Dunno.”

“Let’s go without, then. Come on, sit up.”

He groaned a bit, but reluctantly moved from her shoulder. Ellie gently manipulated the sling back over his arm and shoulder without too much trouble or pain, and turned to face him.

“Alec, one of the things I have to do is wake you up every few hours to make sure you still know who you are. So don’t be surprised to hear me ask you silly questions in the middle of the night, okay?”

“’K,” he mumbled, eyes already closed.

“I’ll be out there on the sofa if you need anything.”

“Not with me?” He opened one eye.

“Not unless you want me to be. Do you want me to stay with you?”

“Mmhmm.”

“In – your bed?”

“Mmhmm.”

“All right.” Ellie felt her heart flutter a bit. She wasn’t quite prepared for this development. “Go to sleep, and I’ll be back later, after I’ve taken care of a few things. Promise.”

“’K.”

He was asleep before his head hit the pillow. Ellie pulled the covers up over his chest, and brushed a kiss onto his forehead. In a way, it did feel as though she was taking care of a child – he seemed so young and vulnerable, which were definitely not typical Alec Hardy character traits. But she had also glimpsed many sides of him today – from the chivalrous, almost heroic side, to the agonizingly frustrating side, to this unguarded, almost comically sweet version. 

“I don’t know whether to hug you or strangle you,” she said softly, and left the room.

A few hours later, after she had checked in with Jenkinson (and assured her that she had not yet murdered her DI), made some childcare arrangements for the next few days for Fred, and shooed Tom off the XBox via Facetime, she changed into her pajamas, brushed her teeth, and slipped under the covers next to Hardy. It was about time for his first wake-up anyway. Might as well do it before she fell asleep.

She shook his good shoulder gently, and whispered his name for what seemed like several minutes. He woke slowly with a groan, his eyes barely open.

“Hmm.”

“Tell me what your name is.”

“Hmm?”

“Tell me what your name is.”

“Umm...Aaa-lec.” It came out in a drowsy drawl.

“Alec what?”

“What?”

“What’s your last name?”

“Oh…umm…Hardy.”

“Good. Now go back to sleep.” 

“Leave me alone, Tess,” he muttered, and then he was out again.

Ellie’s eyes widened and she heard herself take a sharp inward breath. For a few minutes, she lay there, feeling completely unnerved, only eventually remembering her vow of _responsibility over emotion_. Shaking off her agitation, she set an alarm for the next time she needed to wake him and flipped off the light. Laying back down in the bed, perilously close to Alec Hardy, she stared at the ceiling, blinking in the dark, until the alarm went off three hours later.


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The day after the accident brings more challenges...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am a teacher, and of course we are dealing with online learning, so this chapter has been stewing in my head while I'm trying to dream up lesson plans. I'm actually grateful for the mental break that I get from thinking about these two. And no, this is not the last chapter, so I hope you hang in there with me!

Chapter 4

When Ellie awoke for the final time the next morning, she was exhausted. Hardy calling her Tess had left her unsettled, and her mind had not quieted enough to allow her rest. The next time she had to wake him up, three hours later, he had mumbled his name without incident, and she was able to get a few hours’ sleep afterward. But the third time, sometime near dawn, had tried her patience and stole her chance at anything resembling a decent night’s rest.

When her alarm had sounded, her weary eyes felt as though they were filled with grains of sand. She had shaken Hardy’s shoulder gently until he had gradually awakened and silently stared at her in the dark. She had seen the darkness of his eyes, even as dawn began to spread the beginnings of light underneath the window shades.

“ _Tell me your name_ ,” _she whispered._

“ _No,_ ” _he said. Ellie’s eyes opened wider. She was definitely more awake now._

“ _What_? _Just tell me your name, and you can go back to sleep.”_

“ _No_ ,” _he repeated, and his eyes glinted through the semi-darkness._

_Ellie let out a frustrated sigh_. 

“ _Come on, Alec. Don’t do this to me_ ,“ _she breathed. She searched his eyes as well as she could in the dimmest of light. It looked as though he was staring right through her._

“ _If you already knew my name, why did you ask_?” 

Hardy had closed his eyes then and had once again fallen instantly asleep. And Ellie had again become unsettled and restless. She had been almost ready to give up on sleep and get up with the rising sun, but had mercifully dozed off sometime before the sun came up, managing a few fitful hours of sleep. 

And now that she was up, all she wanted to do was go back to bed. 

At 8:00, she Facetimed with Tom and Fred before school. At 8:15, she called Lucy, and asked her to bring over some groceries, since Hardy had hardly anything in the way of food in his kitchen. She may have missed out on sleep, but by no means would she miss out on meals! 

At 9:00, there was a knock on the door. Certain that it was Lucy, Ellie answered the door, still in her pajamas. She opened the door to see DC Katie Harford on Hardy’s doorstep, holding a large bag, eying Ellie’s pajamas, unruly hair, and the scrape on her cheek.

“Good morning, Ma’am. Jenkinson sent me with breakfast and sandwiches for lunch. Said you probably had your hands full and shouldn’t have to worry about cooking.” 

Ellie’s eyes lit up. “You’ve no idea how excited I am to see you right now. Um, come in. Feels weird inviting you into Hardy’s house.”

She took the bag from Harford, and motioned toward the kitchen. 

“He’s still sleeping, we can talk in there.”

Ellie unloaded various yoghurts, fruits, and pastries for breakfast, plus the sandwiches.

“This is beautiful, thanks. Surprisingly thoughtful of Jenkinson.”

“Yeah, she said that DI Hardy probably didn’t have much food in his house.”

Ellie chuckled drily. “She wasn’t wrong.”

“She asked me to check and see how you were both doing.”

Ellie leaned against the kitchen counter and exhaled. “Well, Hardy is a bit banged up, I suppose. He’ll be all right eventually. I’m fine. Just a few bumps and scrapes.”

“You kind of look like shit.”

“Wow, thanks a lot.”

“Sorry, I don’t mean it like that. You just look really – tired. And, you know, your cheek." 

At that moment, there was another knock on the door, and Ellie knew it had to be Lucy this time. As she opened the door, Lucy walked in with a bag of groceries, not waiting for an invitation. Again, Ellie motioned to the kitchen, where Lucy deposited the bag on the counter.

“Thanks, Luce,” said Ellie gratefully. “I really mean it.”

“Christ, El, you look awful.”

“Oh, perfect. This morning is doing wonders for my self-esteem.”

Ellie sighed and introduced the two women, who exchanged uninterested pleasantries. Lucy curled her lips upward.

“So where is our superhero?”

It was at that moment when Hardy stumbled out of the bedroom, bleary-eyed, hair sticking up in all directions – and shirtless. Lucy’s eyebrows rose nearly up to her hairline. 

“Well, there he is,” she purred. Ellie rolled her eyes, but began to blush despite herself. _Again._

“Blimey, your shoulder, Sir,” said Harford. And indeed, Ellie noticed, Hardy’s shoulder had taken on additional color since yesterday, and looked downright livid.

“Didn’t know I lived in bloody Waterloo Station,” grumbled Hardy, his voice thick and foggy. He rubbed his hand down his face and wobbled a bit on his feet.

“Good morning to you, too,” Ellie said cheerfully, although she did not feel cheerful. What she did feel, quite suddenly, was very protective of Alec Hardy. 

“DS Harford has brought us breakfast,” she said, leading him to the sofa. She grabbed a throw from the back of the sofa, and draped it around his shoulders. 

“Not hungry.”

“Christ. Here we go again,” muttered Ellie, under her breath.

Harford shifted uncomfortably. “Well, I best be going then,” she said, turning towards the door. “Jenkinson told me to ask if there was anything else you needed.”

“Patience,” sighed Ellie. “I could use a healthy dose of patience.” She gave a short laugh. “But then, I think Jenkinson already knows that.”

“Right.” She turned her attention to Hardy. “Uh, hope you’re feeling better, Sir.” She gave a noncommittal wave, and walked out the door.

After Harford’s departure, Ellie turned to her sister. “Thanks a million, Luce.” She went to her purse, fished some money out, and pressed some bills into Lucy’s hand. Then she moved towards the door. “I’ll call you soon.”

“Are you kicking me out, El?” She dropped her voice to a whisper. “I was hoping to spend some quality time with you and your partially-clad boss.”

“Goodbye, Lucy.”

“Well, I hope it’s at least worth your while,” she said, under her breath. 

“I’ve told you, I don’t know how many times, it’s not like that.”

“Methinks the lady doth protest too much.”

“Shut up. Time for you to go,” she said, opening the door and pushing Lucy out. “He may be injured, but he’s not deaf,” she chastised, once they were outside the door. “What the hell is wrong with you?”

Lucy chuckled knowingly. “Nothing at all. I just think this is a situation you could take advantage of. A handsome Scot, half undressed, reliant upon you for his every need – “

“Shut up, Luce.”

“He’s quite fit, even if he is a bit messy. Speaking of messy, make sure you run a brush through your hair, eh? The two of you make quite the disheveled pair.”

“Yeah? Well let’s put you in front of a speeding car and see how _you_ look afterward.”

“Does that mean I can have your boss land on top of me?”

“I’m going inside now.”

“Oh wait, you didn’t let me say goodbye!” 

Ellie stepped backward, shooting Lucy a warning glance. Lucy took a step back inside, and fixed her gaze on Hardy.

“Nice to see you, Detective Inspector Hardy. I do hope you heal quickly.” Her tone was affectedly sweet, and Ellie rolled her eyes.

Hardy grunted something unintelligible, then Ellie shooed Lucy out the front door for good.

“Sorry about that,” Ellie said, closing the door. Hardy looked at her with one eye closed. “Your headache is back this morning?”

Hardy nodded.

“Well, this morning we can ice your shoulder and the bump on your head. You can also take mild pain relievers, so maybe that will help with your headache.”

Hardy nodded again. Ellie went to the kitchen and gathered some of the breakfast foods Harford had brought, and returning, deposited them on the coffee table in front of Hardy.

“I know you say you’re not hungry, but please eat something.” Her voice sounded tired, even to her.

Hardy looked at her then, and he gave her a hint of a smile. He reached and grabbed an unruly curl and tugged it gently.

“You look tired,” he said softly.

“Why is everyone saying that?”

“Did you sleep?”

Ellie was silent, unsure if she should tell him that not only didn’t she sleep much, but that _he_ was the reason for her lack of sleep.

“I take it that’s a no.” 

He tried to take the top off a yoghurt container, and found it impossible with one hand. Ellie noticed his struggle and held the container while he removed the top.

“Thanks,” he said, shoveling a spoonful of yoghurt into his mouth. “You never answered me. Did you get some sleep?”

“Some. Not much.”

Ellie picked up a pastry and started to nibble at it. She changed the subject.

“You seem at least more coherent this morning than you were most of yesterday afternoon and evening.”

Hardy didn’t respond. He put down the spoon and leaned back on the sofa. He ran his hand through his hair, wincing a bit.

“I don’t really remember anything that happened yesterday,” he said quietly.

“Oh,” breathed Ellie, incredulous. “Do you want me to fill you in?”

Hardy nodded very slightly.

“Ok, but first, I’m getting ice for you. And you’re finishing your yoghurt.”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

Ellie disappeared into the kitchen, returning with an icepack that she placed on Hardy’s injured shoulder. She wrapped her hand in the blanket around his shoulders, and held the icepack in place. Hardy grimaced and closed his eyes.

“Tell me,” he said. “Tell me about yesterday.”

And she did. She told him about them going to Terry Ross’ house, her being in the middle of the drive, the car speeding toward her, and Alec flying through the air to push her out of the way. She told him how his pacemaker had fired after he hit the ground hard – too hard – and that he had briefly lost consciousness. She told him that she had driven him to A & E, that Jenkinson had visited him in the hospital while he was loopy on muscle relaxers, and that she was assigned the task of caring for him (she didn’t tell him she had volunteered). She told him that he was a pain in the arse about eating, and that there was no bloody food in his house. She also told him she thought he got more sleep last night than he had in the last month, and that she had awakened him every three hours to make sure his mind was functioning and at least marginally coherent. But she didn’t mention their middle-of-the-night conversations.

“That’s why you didn’t sleep,” he said, as though he had deduced something brilliant. “Because of me - you having to wake me up. What, so you just stayed up all night?”

“Not exactly.” Ellie heaved a great sigh and stood up, removing the ice pack from his shoulder. She wasn’t ready to tell him about why she didn’t sleep, and she wasn’t certain he was in any condition to hear it. _Later_ , she thought. 

“Look, it’s not an issue. I need to put ice on your head. Let me take a look.”

She pushed his mop of hair around with her fingers, and it didn’t take long for her to find a rather large lump on the left side of his head. He flinched when she touched it. Gently, she held the icepack to the side of his head.

“Thank you,” he said, and his eyes were again closed.

“Please stop thanking me. _You_ saved _me,_ remember?” She flashed an apologetic smile. “Oh, no. You don’t remember. Sorry.”

“Is that why you’re here helping me? Out of some sort of obligation?”

“We’ve already had this conversation, Alec. I am not in any way obligated to help you. If you must know, I bloody _asked_ Jenkinson to let me stay with you.” She hadn’t intended to admit that.

“Why would you do that?” Hardy was incredulous. He opened one eye and looked up at her. “I’m taking you away from your life, your kids. I’m keeping you from sleeping. I can’t believe you’d do this willingly.”

“Why is that so difficult to believe? If anyone else had been given this task, I would have been upset. It is _my_ job to look after you. It is _my_ job to make sure you are all right. You’re my friend. You’re my partner. Who else would you want here holding ice on your head except me?” 

Both eyes were open now, but Hardy didn’t say anything.

“You think I don’t care about you? Or do you think you don’t _deserve_ someone to care about you?”

Hardy still didn’t speak, and Ellie felt herself begin to grow self-conscious about the admissions she had just made. 

“Say something, Alec.” 

There was an interminable pause. Ellie thought maybe he wouldn’t respond at all.

“Ellie,” he finally said, “I say the wrong thing even under the best of circumstances. Please don’t ask me to give you any answers right now.”

To Ellie’s horror, her eyes began to fill with tears. Hardy looked at her tenderly.

“Please don’t cry, Ellie.” 

He reached for her with his good hand, and tugged her arm.

“Please. Come here. Sit down.”

“But your head,” she protested, crying harder now. The salt from her tears stung as they touched the scrape on her cheek.

“Let it go,” he said, grabbing the icepack from her grasp and putting it on the table. “Come here.”

He took her arm and gently pulled her onto the sofa next to him. His right arm snaked around her shoulders and pulled her close. She tucked herself under his arm and lay her cheek on his chest.

“This is stupid,” she said, sniffing. “I don’t know why I’m crying.”

“You’re overtired and probably still a bit affected by yesterday. You should rest.”

Ellie chuckled humorlessly. “I’m supposed to be taking care of you.”

“We take care of each other, eh?”

She wiped her eyes with her hand, and grabbed a napkin from the table for her nose.

“Thought you said you were bad at saying the right thing,” she said, blowing her nose.

“I am. Usually. Got lucky, I suppose.”

Ellie smiled and closed her eyes. She could feel his heartbeat on her cheek and smell remnants of yesterday’s woodsy deodorant.

“Will you be okay if I just close my eyes for a bit…?”

He ran his hand over her curls. “I will. Won’t move.”

“Can we talk about this?”

“Later. Promise. Come on,” he instructed, “lay all the way down.”

He shifted and gently helped her ease down, so she was stretched out on the sofa with her head in his lap. 

“Hardy,” she said sleepily.

“Hmm?”

“My head is in your lap.”

“Aye, that it is.”

“Is that weird?”

“Miller?”

“What?”

“Stop talking. I have a headache.”

“Right…talk later.”

“Go to sleep, Miller.”

And she did.


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Complications and confessions...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I love the encouragement I've been getting, so I keep extending this. And okay, I start to run with an idea that ends up taking more time and space than originally intended. I really think this is the penultimate chapter, but I wouldn't bet my life on it. Let me know what you think!

Chapter 5

Ellie awoke sometime later feeling a bit disoriented, lying on her side, her head still in Hardy’s lap. She was unaware of how much time had passed since she had closed her eyes and fallen asleep. As she woke, she was surprised to notice her fingers entwined with Hardy’s, and it sent a little jolt of electricity throughout her body.

She twisted her body to look up at him, and his eyes were closed, which she knew was more comfortable for him right now - but made it difficult to tell if he was awake or asleep.

“Hardy,” she whispered. “Alec.”

There was no response, and she assumed that he must have dozed off. She attempted to stretch gently, careful not to disturb him, still holding onto his hand. She gazed up at his face, slack and relaxed. He was breathing softly, and she suddenly felt overwhelmed by a surge of affection for him and whatever place he occupied in her life. She squeezed his hand absently, and almost immediately, he exhaled and began to move slightly.

“You’re awake?” he mumbled, as his eyes half opened.

“You are too,” she said, smiling up at him.

“Must’a closed my eyes for a bit. Not much else to do with you layin’ on top of me.”

“Don’t blame that on me, Alec Hardy – that was all your idea.”

“It worked, didn’t it?”

“I think it did.”

“Bloody brilliant idea, then.” 

Ellie laughed and pulled herself up to a seated position, keeping her hand in his. 

“Feel better?” he asked, blinking in the light of midday.

“I do,” she said. “But I badly need a shower. How are you feeling?”

“Ach,” he said. “Been better. Could use a shower myself.”

“Are you okay to take a shower by yourself?”

Hardy raised his eyebrows. Ellie immediately blushed ( _bloody hell!_ ), realizing what she had said, and what it must have sounded like.

“I meant - I’m not suggesting – I just don’t want you to fall,” she stammered, then quickly recovered her composure. “You haven’t looked sure on your feet since sometime around noon yesterday.”

“I’m fine if I don’t move or stand up too quickly. Really.”

He squeezed her hand and gave a little half smile, and her heart did an odd flip that took her by surprise.

“Can you help me take this off?” he said, slightly inclining his head to the left, indicating the shoulder sling. 

Ellie somewhat reluctantly dropped his hand, and carefully loosened the straps and slid the sling off his shoulder. He inhaled sharply whenever she touched or moved it, however slightly. 

“Sorry,” she said. “It’s impossible to do this without hurting you.”

“S’okay. Hurts like hell anyway. Just hurts worse when you move it.”

He gave a rueful smile, and stood up slowly. He tottered a bit, and pressed a hand to his forehead.

“Okay?” Ellie asked, and her concern was obvious. 

“Yep, just need a second.” He steadied himself by holding onto her shoulder, then slowly shuffled off toward the bathroom.

“Call me if you need help.”

“I won’t. M’ fine,” he said, without looking back.

\-------

Sure enough, half an hour later, he reappeared with damp, slicked back hair, wearing sweatpants and carrying a tee shirt.

“You survived,” Ellie teased. 

“I did. But I need some help putting this on,” he said, handing her the soft blue-grey shirt.

“Do you have maybe a zip-up hoodie instead of tee shirt? That might be more comfortable to put on and take off.”

He looked blankly at her.

“Hoodie?”

“A hooded sweatshirt. Are you 80 years old? How do you not know what a hoodie is?”

“I don’t have one. I have a regular sweatshirt. No zipper.”

“Well, that’s no better than this. Come and sit down. I’ll do my best not to hurt you.”

“That’s all I could ever ask for,” he joked.

Again, she felt her heart do that same little flip.

She carefully manipulated the tee shirt over his shoulder and head, eliciting an occasional sharp intake of air from Hardy. The sling was next, and by the time she was finished putting it on, he was almost panting.

“Maybe I should buy myself a hoodie,” he said, breathing more heavily than Ellie thought he should have been.

“You okay?”

“Think so.”

“My turn for a shower,” she said. “I’m jealous of how clean you smell. You’ll be all right?”

Hardy nodded, and waved his hand. “Go. Cleanse yourself.” He gave a thin smile, and Ellie responded with a bright smile of her own.

“Be right back,” she said, cheerily.

Ellie’s shower was both wonderful and excruciating. She had almost forgotten her own injuries and the bandages on her elbow and knee. She peeled off the bandages and studied the raw skin, scabbing and bruising in both places. The warm water from the shower stung, but was ultimately refreshing, and she felt somewhat rejuvenated.

After showering, she rebandaged her knee, but realized she needed another hand to reapply the bandage to her elbow. She threw on leggings and a white short sleeved button up, grabbed a blue jumper, and went out to enlist Hardy’s assistance. But when she got to his front room, she was surprised to see he wasn’t there. Perplexed, Ellie moved to the kitchen, and that’s where she found him, on the kitchen floor, slumped up against the cabinets. His eyes were closed and his face seemed to have lost all color.

“Alec, are you all right?” She kneeled next to him and put her hand on his arm. His skin felt clammy.

“Not feeling so good,” he muttered. His eyes were still closed, and his head was tipped back.

“What happened?”

“Dunno.” He opened his eyes and looked at her. “Was trying to make some tea for you. Got dizzy. Ended up here.”

“Are you still dizzy? You don’t look so good.”

“Yeah. Feel like I might…be sick.”

“Hang on,” she said. She opened the cupboard underneath the sink and found a metal bucket. It was filled with sponges, which she pulled out and tossed back into the cupboard. She set the bucket next to him just in time, for at that moment, he leaned over and vomited into it.

Ellie sat down on the floor next to him, pulling him to her carefully, holding him as he retched into the bucket. She brushed damp hair off his forehead, murmuring soothing words into the top of his head.

A while later, after emptying the contents of his stomach, he leaned back into her chest, completely spent. 

“You’re okay,” she soothed, petting his hair. 

“Bloody embarrassing,” he mumbled, hoarsely.

“Get over it, Hardy. I’ve seen you in much worse condition than this.”

“Puking into a bucket. Heroic.”

“You’re such an idiot.”

“Thanks. Great bedside manner.”

“Seriously, Alec. You don’t have to be in control all the time. You’re too proud to let anyone believe you need help. You never let anyone bloody take care of you - so now here you are on the floor of your own kitchen, vomiting your guts out, because you won’t just let me do what I’m here to do.”

“Wanted to make you tea.”

“You don’t have to make me tea, you knobhead. I can make it myself. You have a concussion and an injured shoulder. This is really not the time to be nice to me.”

Hardy was silent. He tried to pull himself upright, but seemed to lack the energy, so he fell back against Ellie’s chest.

“Feel any better now?” she asked him, rubbing his arm lightly.

“Little.”

“Are you done throwing up?”

“Think so.”

“Can we get off the floor then? There are more comfortable places for you to be miserable.”

At first, Hardy didn’t answer, and Ellie was half convinced she would be sitting on the kitchen floor with him for the next few hours. 

“Aye,” was his very soft reply. “Need help, though.”

“That’s exactly why I’m here. You’re learning,” she said, smiling. She stood up, and used two hands to slowly pull him up by his one good hand.

“Careful,” she said. “Easy now.”

Hardy grunted and swayed as he stood, grabbing hold of Ellie’s shoulder to keep himself upright. She carefully led him to the sofa, then fetched him a glass of water and some crackers.

“You okay?” she said, sitting next to him. Hardy closed his eyes and gave a brief nod.

“Not my best day,” he said weakly.

She ruffled his hair and smiled brightly. 

“Didn’t expect it to be. But you are actually quite dear, whether you know it or not, even though you’re always trying to be so bloody tough.”

“You think I'm dear?”

“You tried to make me tea and ended up in a pile on the floor. However misguided, it’s still quite sweet. Maybe even chivalrous.”

Hardy blushed and looked sheepish. Ellie was pleased to see _him_ blush, for a change, instead of her, and she couldn’t help but smile. Without thinking, she reached and touched his cheek. In turn, he reached for her arm, accidentally brushing her unbandaged elbow. She gasped in pain, and Hardy startled, moving quickly backward – too quickly, as it turned out. Ellie saw his eyes glaze over - then, moving swiftly, she caught him as he started to sway.

“You’re a mess,” she said fondly, helping him lay back against the cushions, brushing his hair away from his eyes. “Just _sit_ here for a while. Don’t _do_ anything.” She grabbed his hand and held it in her lap.

“Sorry,” he said quietly. “I know this is a lot. I know… _I’m_ a lot.”

“You have no idea,” she said, laughing. “You know, you called me Tess last night.”

His eyes widened with horror, and his face turned bright red. He stared down at their conjoined hands.

“I don’t know why I would do that. You’re nothing like Tess.” He was mortified.

“I know. I’ve met her.” She smiled. “Honestly, I don’t think you were fully awake. And I think you were put off by my nagging. I’d like to think that’s why you said, ‘Leave me alone, Tess.’”

“Christ. I’m so sorry, Ellie. Really.”

“I don’t hold you responsible for your subconscious, Alec. We were, uh, sharing a bed, so it’s probably natural that your subconscious would revert to the person you shared a bed with for so many years.”

“Makes sense, I suppose.”

“But I’m still trying to figure out why you refused to tell me your name at 5:00 this morning, as though you were challenging me to figure it out.”

“Uh…”

“Don’t know what’s happening in that brain of yours sometimes,” she said, touching his hair.

“Sorry,” he said, again. He sounded so contrite that Ellie impulsively brushed a light kiss against his cheek. 

He closed his eyes, then blinked as though trying to bring the world back into focus. 

“Stop with the apologies. None of this is your fault. I just want you to feel more like yourself, and then you can go back to being the broody bastard that we all know and adore.”

“Bit hyperbolic.”

“Which part? The ‘broody bastard’ part?”

“No. The ‘adore’ part. You can’t pretend that I am adored by all.”

“Okay, maybe not _adored_ by all, but you are _respected_ by all. And maybe adored by a few.”

“Which few?” He looked slightly bewildered.

A slow smile played across her lips.

“Fred adores you. Worships you, more like.”

“True.”

“Daisy adores you. You did well there.”

“Aye.” He gave a small, satisfied smile.

“Lucy adores you – well, she lusts after you. I guess that’s different.”

“Oh. Umm.” She could see his cheeks flush under his beard, and she chuckled silently.

“And then there’s me.”

Hardy appeared to have stopped breathing.

“You?” His voice quivered a bit. Ellie squeezed his hand.

“I adore you, Alec Hardy.”

“You…what?”

He sat there, seemingly struck dumb, with a stunned, and oddly concerned look on his face.

“Alec? Did I upset you?”

He gave a tiny shake of his head. 

“No, no. I’m just trying to figure out if I’m dreaming or not.” He looked at her as though he thought she might disappear at any moment. He picked up their entwined hands and stared at them intently.

“It’s not a dream,” she said coyly. “And I would probably want to kiss you if you hadn’t just spent the last 20 minutes vomiting.”

He snorted with laughter then, and Ellie was relieved. None of this day had gone according to any type of plan. She hadn’t intended to confess any sort of affection, other than the friendship that was already apparent to both of them. But there was something about seeing him so vulnerable that made her want to get even closer to him. These surges of affection were a surprise to her. She knew she had feelings for him, but wasn’t aware how deep those feelings ran until the last 24 hours of their lives.

Hardy had stopped laughing and was seemingly overcome with fatigue. He looked at her with wonder, but his deep brown eyes were glassy now. 

“Will I remember this tomorrow?” he asked, and his words began to run together.

“Won’t let you forget it,” she said, grinning.

“Fine. But I don’ wanna say anything to you ‘til I know it’s not a dream.” 

His eyelids began to droop, and Ellie stroked his hair until he was asleep on her shoulder again.

“It’s not a dream,” she whispered in his ear. “It’s definitely not a dream.”


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a logical progression of events occurs...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This has taken on a life of its own. A few days ago, I lost half this chapter and had to rewrite it, so it's taken me a few extra days. I promise one more chapter, which will be an epilogue of sorts. Thanks for all your encouragement and kind words. Making people happy makes ME happy!

Chapter 6

For the rest of the afternoon and early evening, Hardy was quiet. After he awoke, his head still on Ellie’s shoulder, he didn’t say a word, and Ellie found it wisest to simply follow his lead.

After a while, she asked him to help put a fresh bandage on her elbow. She held the gauze pad in place, while he used his one free hand to try and affix medical tape to the gauze. It took him four tries, three ruined bandages, and several pained hisses from Ellie before he was successful. His lack of fine motor skill seemed to frustrate him, and he retreated to the far side of the sofa, coiling up like a cat.

For most of the afternoon and into the early evening, they sat in companionable silence. Ellie had turned on the telly, and Hardy peripherally half-watched several shows, occasionally rolling his eyes at the inane dialogue, and sometimes just dozing off. Ellie had never seen him sleep so much, but had been reassured by the doctor that this was normal under the circumstances. Since he had also been highly discouraged from reading or looking at a computer screen for a few days, there really wasn’t much else of consequence he could do. Ellie thought this must be especially difficult for a workaholic like Alec Hardy, and she was grateful they were on the tail end of a big case, instead of embroiled in the middle of it.

Later, she prepared a quick meal of grilled chicken and salad, and had to goad him into eating more than just a few bites. He dutifully and wordlessly managed about half of it before pushing it away and resuming with his moody silence. After clearing their plates to the kitchen, Ellie returned with steaming mugs of tea, placing Hardy’s on the coffee table in front of him. He gave her a nod and a mutter of thanks. She sat down next to him and touched his shoulder.

“Hey. You okay?” 

He picked up his tea and balanced it on one knee.

“Fine.”

How’s your headache?”

“Eh. Constant dull throb.”

She looked at him through the steam from her mug and smiled ruefully.

“Sorry.”

“Not your fault.”

“Well, it kind of _is_ my fault.

“Don’t say that,” he scoffed.

“Well, it’s what I think.”

“Well, don’t _think_ that.”

“You can’t tell me what to think,” she protested, but her eyes were shining.

“True,” he replied, considering. “I may be police, but I’m not the _thought_ police.”

Ellie chuckled, and was relieved to hear his attempt at a joke.

“I’m glad to see you haven’t lost your sense of humor,” she said, touching his elbow. “I was worried that you were starting to do that broody thing again.”

“Not broody, just tired.”

“Hmm, no,” she said, “I can tell the difference between the two. When you’re brooding, you withdraw and go quiet, much the way you’ve been doing for much of the day. When you’re tired at work, you get grouchy. When you get tired away from work, you become oddly affectionate – cuddly, even.”

She watched Hardy turn a shade of pink and sipped her tea, a smile curling her lips. She decided to let the matter rest for the time being, and let him brood, or whatever it was he was doing. As the evening wore on, she noticed him fading and his head starting to nod. She gently shook his arm.

“Hey, go to bed, you. Better go now on your own than me having to try and drag your dead weight when you’re fast asleep.”

“Right,” he mumbled, opening his eyes and running a hand over his face.

“Let me help,” Ellie said, standing up and offering her hand. She helped him to his feet, where he steadied himself once again on her shoulder before walking slowly toward the bedroom. She watched his retreating figure.

“You need help with anything?” she asked his back.

“Nah. ‘M fine.”

“Alec?”

“Hmm.”

“Did you want me to stay in your, uh, room tonight? You asked me to last night, but you weren’t particularly lucid. I don’t want to assume – “

“Yeah” he interrupted, turning back halfway to look at her. “Would be nice. Like havin’ you here,” he said quietly, and shuffled off to the bedroom.

Ellie felt warmth flood her body, and couldn’t seem to suppress her smile.

She took care of her evening obligations: Facetimed with the boys, and checked in with her dad, Lucy, and Jenkinson. She even called Daisy, who she had also called the previous day to let her know about the accident. Daisy had asked if she should take some time off school and return to Broadchurch to care for her dad, but Ellie told her to stay put – that she had it under control. She also knew that Hardy would be horrified if Daisy left school because of him. Ellie was also amused to hear Daisy say she was glad Ellie was the one looking after him.

" _I think he'd make life hell for anyone else. But he really likes you, and actually listens to things you say_ ," Daisy had said, laughing.

Later that evening, Ellie slid under the covers in Hardy's bed, trying not to disturb him, but he stirred, groaning a bit, and opened unfocused eyes that somehow fixed on hers in the dim lamplight.

"Goodnight, Alec," she said, brushing his hair from his eyes, smiling fondly at him.

"Ellie," he said, and his voice was husky with sleep, "Thank you." He found her hand and squeezed it, closing his eyes again as she turned out the light.

Their fingers were still laced together when Ellie awoke the next morning.

_______________________

The morning was something of a challenge for Ellie, as Hardy was scheduled to revisit the doctor. Getting them both showered, fed, and dressed was every bit as taxing as getting her boys ready for school – largely because Hardy was too stubborn to ask for help when he needed it, which made everything take longer than it should have.

He ended up dressing in a work shirt and trousers, making it easier than a tee shirt or a jumper to remove and put back on. Ellie teased him about having no functional casual clothes, but she secretly admired the way his slim torso looked in the light blue button-up, and the way the color of his shirt made his dark brown eyes seem even more intense. It was at that moment she remembered mentioning something about his blue tie and brown eyes right before the accident, and she felt her face beginning to grow hot once again.

“Why are you turning red? I haven’t said anything, so you can’t be mad at me.” He peered at her intently. “You’re not angry, right?”

She gave a short laugh, trying to cover her embarrassment. “No, I’m not angry. Just thinking about, um, a recent moment that wasn’t really one of my finest.”

“Oh?”

“I’m not telling you about it, so don’t get your hopes up,” she said, pointing a finger at him. “Let’s go.”

______________

The doctor looked happy to see the two detectives again, and the nurse that had bandaged Ellie’s elbow and knee was beside herself to see them come to the appointment together.

“You’re staying at his house!” she breathed to Ellie, starry-eyed. Hardy raised a quizzical eyebrow.

“ _I’ll explain later,_ ” she whispered to him, giggling a bit, and she hoped her laughter didn’t sound as girlish to him as it did to her.

The doctor asked if Hardy wanted Ellie in the room, and he said he did, which made Ellie’s heart do that same flipping thing. 

The doctor was suitably impressed at the wealth of diverse colors covering Hardy’s shoulder. 

“Lovely,” he deadpanned. He moved the shoulder around a bit, and Hardy winced and closed his eyes, taking a deep breath. “It’s going to be painful and stiff for a while, but with therapy, should eventually be good as new. Now how about that head? Headaches?”

Hardy nodded.

“Dizziness?”

Hardy nodded again.

“Nausea?”

“Once or twice,” Hardy admitted.

“How’s your memory?”

“Don’t remember anything from the day of the accident.” He nodded toward Ellie. “I asked her to fill me in on what happened that day, since I couldn’t remember any of it.” He paused, looking thoughtful. “It's okay since then, I think, yeah?” he asked, in Ellie’s direction.

Ellie nodded. “Yeah, that’s about right. He was a bit incoherent on that first day and night, but doing better since, assuming he doesn’t overdo things.”

“Light sensitivity, mood swings, or any other noticeable effects?”

“Had trouble with light at first. Better now. Feel tired a lot. No mood swings to speak of.”

“Uh, that’s not exactly true,” said Ellie, with an apologetic look. “You may not recall, Alec, but there have been several times when your mood has shifted with the breeze.”

Hardy raised an eyebrow at her, and she shrugged in answer.

“All normal,” the doctor reassured. “It just takes time, Mr. Hardy. Give yourself a few more days, rest a lot, and you’ll be feeling much better, no doubt. It’s good that you’ve had Ms. Miller here to help you out.”

“How much longer do you think I’ll need to stay with him?” Ellie asked.

The doctor chewed on his tongue, then smiled warmly.

“I’d say, as long as someone checks in on him once or twice a day, he’s probably fine to be on his own.”

Ellie tried to read Hardy’s expression, but aside from his eyes getting slightly wider, his face remained impassive. 

The doctor told Hardy he would have to come back at the beginning of next week to be cleared for work, and the nurse winked at the two of them on their way out. Ellie smiled at her and Hardy appeared somewhat confused. Once outside, Ellie squeezed Hardy’s arm.

“Fancy a bit of a walk? It’s nice outside today. We’ll take it easy. If you need to hang onto me, I’ll be right next to you.”

Hardy nodded, and they began a slow walk toward the beach. 

“What was that all about, with the nurse?” Hardy asked. Ellie smiled sheepishly and giggled.

“She has this somewhat cinematic, romanticized vision of the two of us.”

“Based on what?”

“Well, first, you sacrificed your body to push me out of the way of a speeding vehicle. Then, you were asking about me after we got to A&E, making sure I was all right, even while you were the one that was a bloody medical disaster. That nurse thought of you as some sort of tall, handsome, romantic, Scottish hero.”

“Did you say “handsome”?

“Her words, not mine. Although she did also say you were scruffy, so don’t get too full of yourself. She also said you had a lovely smile, and we _all_ know you don’t smile, so how seriously can we really take her?” She chuckled at her own humor.

“So you don’t think I’m handsome,” he said seriously.

“I never said that.”

“So you do?”

“Of course I do, you idiot.”

She smiled wickedly and threaded her arm though his, a gleam in her eye.

“But I know you think I’m pretty.”

“And how would you know that? I’ve never said such a thing.”

“You said so in the car, on the way home from A&E. You were very concerned about the scratch on my face, and told me my face was pretty. But you were also loopy from muscle relaxers, so maybe I shouldn’t take _you_ too seriously.” She chuckled again.

“You are,” he said quietly.

“I am what?”

“Pretty.”

“Oh.”

They stopped walking, and stood looking out over the ocean. She glanced at Hardy, and saw his brow was furrowed.

“Are you all right? Maybe we should find a place to sit.” 

Hardy nodded. “Yeah, okay.”

They found a bench that looked out to the sea and sat.

“Alec,” she said. “If you need me to stay with you a little longer, I’ll stay.”

“No,” he said, “your boys need you. I’ll be fine.”

“I promise to come by every day, nag you about eating, and make sure you’re not doing anything stupid.”

“Thanks a lot.”

“Seriously, Alec, I wish you would take better care of yourself.”

He leaned back against the bench and stared silently out toward the sea. She hit his good shoulder in mock anger.

“You are so frustrating sometimes, Alec Hardy. You know, you’ve given up so much for other people – your health, your reputation - you almost _broke_ yourself to save me a few days ago - and you won’t even do yourself the basic kindness to eat actual meals, or to rest when you’re sick or injured. You nearly did yourself in trying to make me tea.” She laughed quietly. “I think our moony nurse would lose her bloody mind if she knew about that.”

Hardy shifted, looking vaguely uncomfortable.

“I’ve been better since then,” he protested. “Trying to eat, even when I don’t want to. Trying not to do anything reckless. I listened to you.”

She smiled. “No, you’re right. I’m shocked, actually.”

“The things you say matter to me.”

He looked at her then, and she saw something in his eyes that felt different. It took her by surprise, and she had to catch her breath.

“They do?” she stammered.

“Aye,” he said softly. “I need to know something, Ellie.”

She swallowed hard. “Okay, what?”

“I think I heard you tell me something. Did you tell me you, uh, _adored_ me? It may have been a dream, but I need to know if it was real.”

She was lost in the dark earnestness of his eyes. 

“I did say that, yes.” She tried desperately to keep the emotion from her voice.

“Is it true?”

“It is.”

His eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but he didn’t speak. She took his hand in hers and set them both on her knee.

“And now that you’re aware of it, Alec Hardy, what do we do about it?”

He still didn’t say anything, and stared intently back at her. Almost unconsciously, she reached out and touched the stubble on his cheek, running her fingers across it lightly. Leaning forward slowly, she tilted her head up and brushed his lips gently with her own. She heard his breath catch, and he closed his eyes, opening them again with a small, satisfied smile. His hand went to her hair, and he tucked a windswept curl behind her ear. This time, he leaned into her, and their lips met again – still gentle, but lingering a bit longer. It was soft and sweet, but it left them both breathless.

Hardy straightened first, running a hand through his hair and clearing his throat.

“I hope that nurse is nowhere around,” said Hardy, shooting a glance back toward the hospital, and they both erupted into peals of laughter.

“Is this okay?” she asked him, shaking off the laughter and the high of a first kiss. “Maybe it’s weird, or inappropriate?”

“Ellie,” he said. “It's not weird. The way I see it, you’re the only one I can imagine sharing my life with. We’ve been sharing our lives for a while now. A kiss just seals the bargain.”

Ellie inhaled sharply and smiled. “That’s way more bloody romantic than I could have ever imagined you being.” 

She kissed his cheek, and leaned her head on his shoulder.

“I suppose it makes sense. We’re so used to each other. We know each other. We take care of each other. For a long time, I knew I cared for you. But I didn’t even realize how much I was attracted to you until recently, and then once I figured it out, it was so obvious that it was almost overwhelming. I thought you might have felt similarly, but I wasn’t certain.”

“Christ, Ellie, how could you not know?”

“What do you mean?”

“You’re the only woman that has mattered to me for years.”

“Years?”

“Years, lass.”

He stroked her hair, then snaked his arm around her shoulder. 

“How many years?”

“For God’s sake, woman! A man gets to have some secrets.”

They smiled at each other. 

“Fine,” said Ellie. “I’ll get it out of you eventually. In the meantime, we’re giving the Broadchurch community some fabulous fodder for the gossip column.”

“Don’t care what anyone thinks.”

“Well, I know you don’t, but we do need to think this through and figure out how we’re going to deal with it. There are larger implications – for work, for family, for friends. We need a plan.”

“Right,” he huffed, leaning back.

“Don’t get all broody.”

“I’m not broody.”

“Listen to me. You and me - that’s a good thing. But it doesn’t come without complications. If we just accept that, we’ll be fine.”

Hardy nodded silently.

“Good,” she said. “Let’s go grab some lunch. We can go back to yours, and I’ll get my stuff together and leave you in peace.”

She stood and helped him slowly up from the bench. As expected, he lay a hand on her shoulder to steady himself. He looked into her eyes.

“I’ll miss you,” he said.

She smiled, stood on her tiptoes, and planted another soft, lingering kiss on his lips. There was a glint in her eye.

“It’s probably best we’re not going to be spending all day and night together now. I’m afraid we might set your recovery back a few days.”

He opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out. Laughing, she grabbed his hand, and slowly and wordlessly dragged a very dazed Alec Hardy back to the car.


	7. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which many loose ends are tied up.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is an epic epilogue. I debated splitting it into several chapters, but decided against it. Hope it's not too much. This was a really tough chapter to put together, but I think I'm mostly pleased with it. In other news, I can't believe this has received over 2000 hits. I'm ecstatic that my silly little Broadchurch fanfic has generated such interest.

Epilogue

Ellie pulled her suit jacket carefully over her bandaged elbow, and assessed herself in her bedroom mirror. Jenkinson had given her the option to take a full day before reporting back to work, certain that she would be exhausted from dealing with Hardy for two entire days. But Ellie had decided going back to work was currently her best option, as there was the off chance it might keep her from spending all her time thinking about him – which was, unfortunately, what she had done for most of the night, instead of sleeping. 

She found it somewhat ironic that she had actually slept less when she slept in her own home, in her _own_ bed, than she did in Alec Hardy’s home, in _his_ bed, or on _his_ couch...or in his lap…or with his head on her shoulder…or with her fingers twined together with his…

She rolled her eyes at the seeming devolution of her own sensibilities.

She surveyed her unruly curls, some of which refused to tuck into her ponytail, and, as she did several times per week, considered chopping her hair off, pausing briefly to consider whether Hardy liked her hair better long or short. _Oh, bloody hell!_ She shook her head, instantly annoyed with herself for behaving like a teenager with her first boyfriend. She grabbed her keys, herded the boys into the car, and headed out to tackle the day.

________________________________

She received almost a hero’s welcome at CID, with admiring claps on the back mixed together with sympathetic clucks. She wasn’t sure if anyone truly understood what had happened, when the only thing they seemed to be concerned about was if she had either somehow snapped and murdered Hardy, or if she had shagged him.

“No, he’s still very much alive,” she said to Dirty Brian, who was firmly in the ‘murder’ camp and had perched himself on the corner of her desk.

“You must be a bloody saint, Ellie. How did you manage two whole days with Shitface?”

“It wasn’t that bad,” Ellie said, exasperated. “In fact, it was quite pleasant. And honestly, Brian, I would think a smart bloke like you could come up with a more creative nickname than Shitface after so many years. I’m fairly certain you’re the only one who still calls him that.”

Brian raised his eyebrows. “Quite pleasant, eh?”

“Go away, Brian.”

“Right. Glad you’re back, Ellie. Hope your cheek heals quickly.”

Ellie shook her head, already weary. And it was still early.

\------------------------------

Just before noon, DC Harford approached Ellie’s desk, along with a twenty-something, giggly PC named Reeves.

“Ma’am, I just want to say, you look better than you did the other day. And DI Hardy looked like complete shit – I mean, his shoulder was pretty scary-looking, eh?”

“Yes. It still is, actually.”

PC Reeves’ eyes were wide.

“Katie said he was walking around without a shirt,” she said, almost breathlessly. “What was _that_ like?”

Ellie closed her eyes and took a cleansing breath. When she opened her eyes, she stared straight ahead, patience waning.

“Are you seriously asking me this question?”

“Well, Katie said he was pretty fit for an older bloke, and since you’re more of his age, I just wondered if you thought – “

“I don’t bloody care what you wondered,” she growled, and then her voice got significantly louder as she continued, “or what any of you lot wondered, for that matter!”

Everyone grew silent and turned to look at Ellie as she fumed.

“You all treat this like it’s some sort of gossip rag, while right now, DI Hardy is at home recovering from serious injuries. And you know why? Because he saved my bloody life! You want to know if I wanted to kill him, you want to know if he’s fit – what you don’t seem to want to know is how he’s _doing_! And that’s the only question I will answer about the subject, so choose your questions wisely!”

She took another deep breath, and fixed her gaze on Harford.

  
“Thank you, DC Harford. That will be all.” Her voice was authoritative and deadly.

“Yes, Ma’am,” mumbled Harford, and she and Reeves scurried off like chastised schoolchildren.

Ellie thought maybe she should have taken Jenkinson up on that extra day after all. Oh well, too late now.

___________

After a day in which Ellie couldn’t seem to keep her eyes off Hardy’s empty office, and all of CID seemed too frightened to engage in conversation after her outburst, she was anxious to get out of the office and stop by Hardy’s with dinner. She was driving to his house with takeout when her phone rang – Daisy.

“Hi Ellie! I just wanted to see how you thought my dad was doing, and if you thought I should come for the weekend. I talked to him earlier today. He told me it wasn’t necessary, but I wanted to hear it from you. I don’t think Dad would tell me if he needed help, but _you_ would.”

Ellie laughed at that. Daisy knew her father well.

“He’ll be all right, Daisy. He always loves to see you, but I also think he’d be mortified if you gave up your weekend plans to take care of him. I’ll be checking in on him all weekend, and I think he may even be able to go back to work next week – light duty, of course. He won’t be chasing criminals around Broadchurch yet.”

“Oh, I’m really glad to hear that. You’re an angel for helping him. Hopefully he hasn’t been super annoying to take care of.”

Ellie laughed again. “No, not at all – in fact, your father can be quite charming when he wants to be, and lovely to be around.”

“Quite charming. Lovely. Right.” Daisy was silent for a moment. “Something’s changed between you two,” she said, knowingly. “I can feel it. I talked to Dad earlier, and I felt it then, too.”

Ellie felt the blush rising again in her cheeks, and was glad nobody was around to see it.

“Why,” she stammered, “what did he say?”

Daisy giggled. “It wasn’t so much _what_ he said, but the way he said it. When he was talking about you, he wasn’t as _careful_ as he usually is. He actually sounded kind of weirdly cheerful, and a bit soppy.” She giggled again. “You both sound the same way today. It’s kind of gross.”

“Oh god, Daisy, I – “

“Ellie, don’t worry, it’s a good thing! Dad’s been soft for you since – well, _forever_. He didn’t think I could tell, but I’ve always known. I kept telling him to ask you out, but he never would. He always changed the subject whenever I bugged him about it.”

“Oh,” was all she could say.

“Ellie,” Daisy said earnestly, “Thank you for looking after my dad. I can’t remember the last time he actually sounded happy. Whatever is happening between you – I think it’s awesome.”

\----------------

When she knocked on Hardy’s door, there was no answer, so she used the “just in case” key he had given her. She found him dozing on the couch, wearing sweatpants without a shirt, his right hand resting on his pacemaker scar.

She smiled and planted a soft kiss on his forehead, which caused him to wake, his eyes slowly fluttering open.

“Good evening, Sleeping Beauty,” she teased.

“You’re a lovely sight to wake up to.” 

He gave her a drowsy smile, then pulled her down for a soft, sleepy kiss that made her tingle all the way to her fingertips, and made the frustrations of the day seem to fade away into nothingness.

“I’ve brought you dinner,” she said, tearing herself away, and setting the box of noodles in front of him. “Have you been eating today?”

“A bit. Enough to keep you from yelling at me.”

She smiled. “Feeling okay?”  
  


“Bit better every day.”

He sat up and she joined him on the sofa. 

“Today was kind of a shit day at work.”

“Oh?” he said, taking a mouthful of noodles.

“Yeah, everyone was beastly, wanting to know if I had either killed you or shagged you during our time together.”

“What did you tell them?”

“That they were all awful.”

Hardy gave a short laugh.

“I’ve been on the wrong side of that speech. I’m glad I’m currently on your good side.” He kissed her shoulder.

“Mmm. Jenkinson wants to take our statements about the accident, but she wants to do ours at the same time – so she’s planning to do it when you’re back at work.”

“But I don’t remember the accident, Ellie. You’ll be giving the entire statement.”

“I told her that, but maybe she thinks your memory will return? I don’t know.” She shrugged and plucked a noodle from the carton with her fingers, and tossed it in her mouth.

“Did you want some?” Hardy asked, offering her the box.

“No, I promised the boys pizza tonight. I have to run off and get it soon, or they will send out a search party – not for me, but for the pizza!”

They shared a smile, and Ellie lay a hand on Hardy’s knee.

“Daisy rang me today,” she said. Hardy’s eyes widened.

“Did she? She rang me too. She wanted to come down, but I told her not to.”

Ellie laughed again. “After she talked to you, she rang me to ask if you were being straight with her, and if she should come down anyway. Don’t worry, I told her you would be okay. But Alec…she _knows_.”

“Knows what?”

“About us.”

Hardy frowned. “How is that possible?”

“Apparently, we were both suitably soppy about each other in separate conversations with her, and she figured it out on her own.”

“Oh.” He ran a hand down his face and looked concerned.

“But she approves. Said you sounded happy, and that was all that mattered to her.”

A smile spread slowly across his face. 

“Can’t argue with that,” he said, contentedly.

_________________________________

Early the next week, Hardy received clearance from the A&E doctor to return to work on limited duty – which meant sitting at a desk and not doing anything physically taxing. When they had arrived at the hospital for the appointment, Hardy and Ellie had stunned the moonstruck nurse by walking into the exam room hand-in-hand, largely for her benefit.

“ _I knew it!”_ she had exclaimed excitedly, eyes as wide as saucers. Ellie and Hardy had exchanged amused glances, then took it a step further, giving each other a discreet peck in full view of the nurse, who had looked like she might just burst with starry-eyed glee.

\--------------

The next day, Hardy returned to work with Ellie, and was treated to an unexpected round of applause, plus cheers and whistles, by the entirety of CID. Ellie silently congratulated herself on seemingly frightening her colleagues into such a raucous display that Hardy seemed truly embarrassed by the fuss.

“Thanks,” he said, gruffly. “Now, that’s enough of that.” He cleared his throat. “Get back to work, everyone.” Ellie chuckled to herself, knowing he was secretly touched, but was also aware he had his grouchy reputation to uphold. 

She watched her colleagues scatter, some whispering, some attempting to surreptitiously linger to see her interaction with Hardy. She sighed, resigned to the fact that they were the office curiosity _du jour_. At some point, people would figure out the nature of their altered relationship. It was inevitable.

She followed him into his office and helped him take his coat off. He wasn’t wearing the sling anymore, but his shoulder was still sore and not particularly mobile.

“Thanks, _Miller_ ,” he said, turning the surname over on his tongue as though he had forgotten how to say it.

“You’re welcome, _Sir_ ,” she said, teasing. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. 

Just then, Jenkinson appeared at his doorway.

“Welcome back, Alec. You’re looking well. Feeling all right?”

“Fine, Ma’am, thanks.”

“Good. Looks like Ellie took good care of you.”

Inexplicably, Ellie felt herself starting to blush. She looked at Hardy, and noticed he was also turning an odd shade of pink.

If Jenkinson noticed, she didn’t let on. “I’d like to see the both of you in my office at 11:00. I need to get your statements.”

“Yes, Ma’am,” said Ellie and Hardy, simultaneously. As Jenkinson walked away, Harford approached and knocked on the door frame.

“Sir? Paperwork for you.”

Ellie went and grabbed it from her, depositing the massive file on Hardy’s desk. Harford hung by the door, and Hardy looked up at her quizzically.

“Thanks, Harford. Anything else?”

“Nothing really. Glad you’re back, Sir. Hope you’re feeling better.” 

After Harford left, Hardy leveled his gaze at Ellie. 

“What in hell did you say to them? I’ve no idea who any of these people are.”

Ellie gave a knowing smile. “Never you mind.” She tapped the file on Hardy’s desk. “Paperwork, Hardy.”

Hardy groaned. “Can’t wait.”

\------------------------------------------------------------

At 11:00, Hardy and Miller stepped into Jenkinson’s office. Ellie felt nervous, although she wasn’t sure why. 

“Alec. Ellie. Sit down.”

They sat. Ellie folded her hands in her lap, and Hardy sat with his left leg crossed, his ankle resting on his opposite knee.

“So, I need to take your informal statements. All indications are that the events of a week ago were an accident, and not a specific criminal intent to harm you. We just want to be certain of that, so here we are. We wanted to give you a bit of time to recover, Alec, and see if that helped your recall.”

Hardy cleared his throat. “I’m afraid it hasn’t, Ma’am. I still don’t remember anything from that day.”

Jenkinson nodded. “Fair enough. Ellie, why don’t you walk me through the incident?”

Ellie gave a short nod and began to tell the story, starting with them pulling over and waiting for backup, ending with the drive to A & E. 

“You were both waiting by the side of Terry Ross’ drive for the uniforms, yes?”

“Yes, Ma’am.”

“How did you end up in the middle of the drive, Ellie?”

Ellie started to blush furiously. Hardy’s eyes widened and Jenkinson’s eyes narrowed. Ellie swallowed hard.

“I, uh, said something I was embarrassed by, and I needed to, uh, _move away_. I suppose I went to the middle of the drive.”

“I don’t understand. I need you to be more specific.”

_Oh god_ , thought Ellie. _She wants me to tell her why I was embarrassed._

“Well, I – “ she started sputtering, but Hardy interrupted her, sitting up straight.

“No doubt DS Miller was responding to something rude or oblivious I had said.”

Ellie stopped and blinked at him. He was so obviously attempting to save her from humiliation. She desperately loved him in that moment, and this realization gave her clarity, and seemed to erase any embarrassment.

“Alec – it’s my fault, not yours. Let me own up to it.” Hardy slowly leaned back in his chair. Jenkinson raised an eyebrow at Ellie. “Ma’am, I was commenting on the fact that DI Hardy and I had matching suits, and that the only thing that didn’t match was Alec’s blue tie – the embarrassing part was that I said it brought out the deep brown of his eyes, which I found very - attractive.”

Ellie shot a glance at Hardy, whose face registered somewhere between smug and shocked. Jenkinson stared at Ellie a moment, and Ellie felt herself holding her breath. Finally, much to Ellie’s surprise, Jenkinson gave a short laugh.

“That’s not quite so bad, is it?”

Ellie didn’t respond, and Jenkinson placed her hands flat on her desk, suddenly becoming serious.

“I need you both to listen to me. Whatever is happening between the two of you is none of my business – until it jeopardizes the health and safety of any officer or civilian. In this case, Ellie, your personal feelings got in the way of your own regard for safety - and caused you to react without thinking rationally, putting both you and Alec in danger. That can’t happen again. So I hope you two will sort out whatever _this_ is,” she gestured at them both, “so I don’t have to worry about your decisions in the field. Is that clear?”

“Yes, Ma’am,” they both said.

“Good. By the way, Alec, you will be receiving a commendation for your actions, so dust off your best suit, wear a black tie, not a blue one, and decide who you’ll be taking as your ‘plus one’.” And much to Ellie’s surprise, she winked at them.

“Thank you, Ma’am.”

“That will be all.”

_____________

After leaving Jenkinson’s office, they wordlessly walked out of CID, and down to the steps in front of the Wessex Police building. They both sat on the steps and were quiet for a moment before Ellie spoke.

“I’m sorry, Alec. Jenkinson is right, the whole thing is my fault.”

Hardy didn’t say anything and sat silently watching her.

“You wouldn’t have been hurt if it wasn’t for me. Alec, what are we doing?”

He turned to face her, and put his hand on her arm.

“Ellie, listen to me. I’m not glad I got hurt. But if anything, it allowed us to be honest with one another. We dropped our barriers and opened up. I honestly didn’t think that would ever happen, and I’m grateful for that part of it. You may be aware that's not an easy or natural thing for me to do.” She covered his hand with her own.

“But I put you in danger, Alec.”

“You took a few steps away from me – not the most egregiously reckless action I can think of.”

“I suppose not.” 

The corners of his mouth turned up slowly. “I only wish I could remember seeing your face after you talked about my eyes.”

“Mercifully, you don’t remember anything – smug wanker.” She batted his shoulder playfully, which caused him to wince in pain. “Shit! I forgot! Christ, Alec, not only am I the cause of your injuries, but now it seems I’m aggravating them as well.”

He leaned into her a bit and laughed. “No, you’re just aggravating in general.” He picked up her hand, kissed it, then held onto it. Ellie looked at him somewhat dolefully.

“How do we navigate all this, Alec? Jenkinson knows. It’s only a matter of time before everyone else does too.”

“I don’t care who knows, as long as you and I are okay with everything. We need to be patient with ourselves and each other, and with all the people in our lives. It may take some adjustment, but it’s worth it.”

Ellie stared at him for a moment. “I can’t even think of a name to call you right now because you’re making too much sense.” She rubbed her thumb over the top of his hand. 

“You’re it for me, Ellie. I’ve loved you for years, and I’m not planning to stop.”

“You love me,” she said, breathlessly.

“Yes, lass.”

“Why?”

Hardy took a long, deep breath.

“Because you make me better – as a detective _and_ as a man. Because you and I balance each other out. Because we’ve seen each other at our worst, and we’re still here having this conversation. And because your face is the first thing I think of in the morning, and the last thing I think of at night.”

Ellie couldn’t seem to find any words.

“Soppy, I know. You asked,” he said, softly. 

She suddenly leaned toward him and gave him a quick, soft kiss. The moment they broke apart, they heard applause from the balcony of CID, and looked up to see a small group of their colleagues smiling and waving at them. Hardy rolled his eyes.

“Well shit,” Ellie said, flustered, “I guess we got that part out of the way.” A wicked gleam appeared in her eyes. “Now we should _really_ give them something to talk about.”

She grabbed both sides of his face and pulled him to her, giving him a long, deep, ferocious kiss that was met with low whistles and more applause from the balcony. Hardy looked somewhat stunned, and his smile was lopsided.

“We probably shouldn’t ever do that again,” she said, laughing. “Not here, I mean.”

“But let’s definitely do more of that elsewhere,” he said, still a bit dazed. 

“Deal,” she said. “Shall we shake on it?”

“Handshake?”

“Seems appropriate.”

They shook hands, and Ellie thought about how far they’d come since the last time they did so, in Hardy’s blue shack, right before he’d left, without Ellie knowing if she'd ever see him again. 

“Right,” he said, interrupting her reverie, “time to go face the music.” He stood up, still a bit slowly, and straightened his tie. “It was nice talking with you, DS Miller,” he said formally, eyes sparkling.

“I look forward to our next chat, DI Hardy,” said Ellie, equally formal.

“Until then – paperwork!” 

They grinned at each other before entering the building and threading the gauntlet of gossipy well wishes and congratulatory slaps on the back. They were navigating it together, and from then on, that was the only thing that mattered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sad to see this one go, as this story has been my constant companion for the last month. I hope you enjoyed it. I've really appreciated the encouragement and the kind comments. Thanks for making me feel welcome in this community. :-)

**Author's Note:**

> I respond to all comments. Thank you for reading!


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